In my first and only buffet review for the Orlando Sentinel I noted that in general, they are not my thing. This is still true.
But there is nothing general about Sushi Yama, with the exception that you will likely need high-level military discipline to avoid binging yourself into a two-day nap.
Possibly in your car just outside the restaurant.
Life’s a buffet. Wear stretch pants. | Review
Jokes aside, this experience was something of a revelation.
When I first caught wind that a new AYCE sushi place had opened down in the tourist zone, I — well, I actually didn’t care.
See above: Buffets, not my thing, yada yada yada.
Sushi buffets are even less appealing than other buffets for what to me seem like obvious reasons. I’m hit with visions of a culinary horror movie in which some of the world’s most beautiful and delicious bites are violently executed en masse.
Wan rectangles of barely identifiable sashimi languish on iced trays while the nigiri cuts suffer a similar fate atop cold ovals of rice that seem crafted of kindergarten paste.
Blocky rolls topped with distracting mounds of differently colored tobiko: highly sus.
What are they hiding under all that? Is it all rice, or is there a paltry rod of surimi in there? A flaccid twig of cuke?
I mean, even Publix has a staffer at the sushi counter who can make a fresh to-go box if you want one.
But that’s the thing: So does Sushi Yama.
In fact, they’ve got a whole army of them, crafting this unfailingly pleasant, all-you-can-eat experience to order.
Sushi Yama is not a buffet at all. It’s just a really, really good deal on an obscene amount of food. And it’s pretty good, too. We liked virtually everything. We ate way too much. And while that, to me, is the folly of places like this (I already eat way too much) it’s also what makes it fun. A feast, in fact. Of fish and far more.
For the kitchen-driven diner, there are AYCE offerings at lunch and dinner, featuring an array of apps and soups, tempura, katsu and hibachi mains, as well as noodles and fried rice. Desserts, too. Got a big group to feed? This is a solid option with lots of solid options.
A la carte and lunch-special offers have deals in the mix, in particular for the touristy neighborhood — Sushi Yama, which has a sister location in Tampa, boasts a Fun Spot-adjacent location on Grand National Drive in a large shopping center — a five-piece nigiri sushi lunch, for example, comes with soup and a tuna roll for $12.95. Combo options feature any two rolls for $10.99, any three for $14.99.
Three rolls? That’s filling.
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But not for us. No, we showed up for the belly buster: all-you-can-eat sushi. And eat we did.
But first, a short wait. It was early on a weeknight and Sushi Yama was poppin’.
The place is clean. Lots of airy room. A cheery lucky cat greets guests, as do equally cheery employees. Families and date-night couples both sat and milled about, some perched at the expansive bar where fruity co*cktails were apparently popular.
We didn’t partake, though, opting instead for massive waters as we perused a wildly impressive roster of options. (Fun fact: one tablespoon of soy sauce contains almost half the daily recommended sodium allowance. Stay hydrated, sushi fans.)
Our server explained the process, noting that each dish was made fresh. Runners bring it out as it’s ready, so be prepared for things to show up in single- and multi-plate drops. It actually made the experience feel more spontaneous and decadent as colorful dishes of yellowtail with jalapeno, green mussels and mango salmon hit the table. Crunchy cucumber salad. Pleasantly chewy seaweed salad. We ordered a few errant test pieces of nigiri and sashimi, too.
These come one to an order, so if you’re planning on more than one, just ask for several outright. The salty pop of ikura and sweet slabs of tamago preceded the specialty rolls, which came together in large, impressive arrangements with wider variety than you’d imagine. In other words, if you’re not a cream cheese fan, for example (one of us wasn’t) you can peruse the menu in detail to find ones that suit.
The Samurai was a hit (salmon, spicy tuna and asparagus inside, topped with white tuna, spicy mayo, ponzu, scallions and masago) as was the Crazy Yellowtail, a multi-fish extravaganza of tuna and salmon with avocado inside with yellowtail and a fresh jalapeno (and jalapeno sauce!) on top. Good stuff. With these and more, plus a new slate of nigiri, we still managed to work in a Cowboy Roll (shrimp tempura and spicy krab topped with medium-rare steak) just to get something silly.
And silly it was. I managed to stave off the food coma just long enough to drive my companions somewhere else for dessert.
There is nothing like all-you-can-eat to remind you (and by you, I mean me) that just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
But if too much of a good thing is your thing, this is your place.
If you go
Sushi Yama: 6748 Grand National Drive in Orlando, 407-420-0666/0300; sushiyamaorlando.com
- AYCE (Kitchen) Lunch: $20.95 (Kids 3-6, $9.95; 7-11, $13.95)
- AYCE (Kitchen) Dinner: $32.95 (Kids 3-6, $12.95; 7-11, $16.95)
- AYCE Sushi: $32.95 (Kids 3-6, $12.95; 7-11, $16.95)
